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[Ari]

I’d like to gain muscle mass. I can’t afford the fees for the nearby gym, but I have my Dad’s old weight bench with a leg extension/curl attachment and assorted plates, regular dumbbells (pairs 5-60 lbs.) and adjustable dumbbells. No barbell, but I'll buy one if it's necessary. Since I’m new at this, I'd like to avoid lunges, squats, and dead lifts, for now. Please critique my plan, I’d be grateful for any advice:

3 days a week, 2 sets of 6-10 reps

leg extension
leg curl
seated calf raise
dumbbell bent-over row
hammer-grip dumbbell press
side lateral raise
bicep curls
two-arm triceps extension
crunches (with weight plate)

1. Are there any exercises I should add? 9 doesn’t seem like enough.
2. The posterior deltoid is listed as a synergist (on exrx.net) for the bent-over row. Is that sufficient or should I added a rear lateral raise as well?
3. Should I add shrugs or do the row and lateral raise do enough for the trapezius? What effect do shrugs really have on the appearance of the neck?
4. I’d like to be able to substitute the shoulder press for the lateral side raise occasionally. Does the shoulder press sufficiently exercise the lateral deltoid so that that substitution would make sense?
5. Is there a way to exercise the abductor/adductor muscles with free weights, other than with lunges? Or should I not even worry about those two muscles yet?

[swanso5]

- there's no reason to avoid lunges, squats and deads...lunges are easy to do, squats a little harder and deads a little harder again but nothing a little practice won't fix
- for your equipmemt i would do the following exercises: db deadlifts, squats down to a bench with bodyweight only increasing wt as needed, db row, db press, standing shoulder press, diamond push ups from knees if needed, hammer curl, prone ab brace
- 3/week on mon, wed , fri doing 3 x 10 for 1st 4 exercises and 2 x 10 for the rest...after 4 weeks increase to 4 sets and 3 sets respectivley and repeat
- probably leave out for now and we can use it later but i would do rear delt raises before lateral raises
- i don't do shrugs...once they grow they stay and are disaterous for posture
- keep palms faciong each other and shoulder right back for more lateral delt stimulation on shoulder presses and you'll be fine as you';ll be using probabyl twice as much wt which is what builds muscle
- leave add/abd out for now, squats and deads will take care of that for now